


Under Embargo

by voleuse



Category: X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-08-16
Updated: 2006-08-16
Packaged: 2017-10-04 06:24:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/voleuse/pseuds/voleuse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><em>It stops like a circuit breaker</em>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Under Embargo

**Author's Note:**

> Set during X3. Title and summary adapted from Elisa Biagini's _The voice does not connect_.

The only problem with Magneto's plan, Pyro thinks, is there isn't much to do while they wait. Not for him, anyway, not yet. Magneto took Callisto and Madrox and Juggernaut aside, but when Pyro tried to follow them, Magneto just shook his head.

So now, Pyro's sitting at the edge of camp, flicking his lighter on, off. On, off. Everything smells like dirt, his ass is getting cold from sitting on a rock, and it's too fucking noisy with all these people around.

On, off. The flame's a small one, just a breath of fire. On, off. He lets it whirl, bounce, spin, before it wisps out again. On, off.

Then, he loses control of the flame. One second, he's guiding it into three prongs, and the next, it's gone.

Not _gone_. It's right in front of him, hovering. But he can't feel it anymore. He reaches out, that switch in his brain and his belly that controls the blaze, but he can't feel anything closer than the smoldering logs in the middle of the camp. He can't feel what's right in front of him.

The flame circles around his thumb, brushes his chin. He lunges back, lost. Scared of the fire, because it doesn't recognize him.

And behind him, a woman is laughing. When he turns his head, it's Jean standing there, though he hadn't recognized her voice.

She's calling the flame. He can see it, the same look in her eyes that he sees in the mirror every day.

The fire flits to her, grows to a blade of orange. It twines over her arm, wreathes her body, engulfs it.

He scowls, turns away. She's laughs again, that low and unfamiliar treble.

The fire snaps, whips back to his palm. It knows him again, and for a second, he closes his fist around it.

Then he blows the flame out.

"Never thought you'd see the light," he says, because it feels like something he should say. Then he continues, under his breath, "Thought you were his pet."

She doesn't say anything, so he looks at her again.

She's walking away.

Pyro pulls his knees to his chest, twists the lighter in his hand again.

On, off.

On, off.


End file.
